Pirates of the Caribbean: Revisited
by Caira1
Summary: Well, I said I would make a continuation of my Revised one, so here it is! Recommended reading POTC: Revised first, though, just as a warning. R & R, please!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1

A/N: Hey there, peoples! Long time no nothing, if that makes any sense (it probably does, but I'm too stupid to think straight). Yeah, I've been saying I was going to put up another Meg/Jack fanfic, so.........here it is! I've had this banging around in my head for quite awhile, but never quite got around to writing it out. But here it is! Chapter one! With hopefully more to come!

This story is a bit darker than the one before it, simply because of what its about, which you'll have to read to find out, I'm not tellin' nuthin. sticks out tongue So yah.........I'll be sure to put in some funny bits, I'm not THAT dark (I'm actually quite pale). So enjoy, and don't forget to read and review!

Disclaimers: I only own Meg, partly because she's a part of me and partly because I came up with her, so nyah. Don't own Jack, although I'm saving up and will be able to buy him in about 150 years, give or take. Wish I owned Will, but then people would be having catfights over him, and that's just too much mess.........

I checked my reflection over and over, picking at my dress over and over again. It couldn't show. It just couldn't. Not that it mattered, he would find out sooner or later, but.........just not now. Soon, but not now.

Rough, familiar hands snaked across my waist and held on. I gave a quiet shriek and spun away, lashing out the back of my hand as I did so. One of those hands grabbed mine, and I was stuck looking face-to-face with Captain Jack Sparrow. My love. My lust. My enemy on a variety of levels. He screwed up his face into a pathetic rendition of a pout. "Is that what I get for trying to play with you nowadays?" he teased, sidling up to me. My breath came in short spurts, and I started to feel light-headed. "Hey." He waved a hand in front of my face. "You okay, love?"

"Yeah, uh-huh," I gasped, trying to appear normal. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"No," he said softly, sliding closer to me. I took a step back. "You see, it's always like this now. I come close, you slip away. You won't bed with me anymore, you rarely come up on deck except to lose your breakfast, which is strange in itself, and you constantly fuss with your dresses." He scratched his head. "Not that it matters to me, but I didn't think you were the kind of girl to care about a thing like that."

"I don't!" I retorted defensively. "I'm just studying the poor quality you always manage to scavenge for me!" I regretted the words as soon as they rolled out of my mouth. "Oh no! No, I didn't mean it like that!" I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know what's come over me, I'm so sorry, please don't be mad at me, I'm sorry!"

He slid a finger under my chin and raised my head so I looked him in the eye. "I know you didn't," he said gently. "I'm sorry for being so intrusive like that."

"You weren't intrusive," I replied sincerely. "You were being caring, and I just bit your head off. I'm so sorry."

"Look, stop saying you're sorry, I know that, and if you keep it up, no one will believe me when you claim to be a pirate. Including me."

"Sorry." I cringed. "I mean.........uh.........damn........."

He grinned, the smiling lines on his face crinkling. "You're something else, all right," he murmured, kissing the top of my head. "And I'm glad you're my own."

Now would've been the perfect time to tell him. I mean, it wasn't that hard. 'Jack, we're having a baby.' 'Jack, you're going to be a father.' Something like that. And yet I couldn't bring myself to say it. Look at me. The new cowardly pirate. Inwardly, I cringed. I kissed Jack on the lips, and he returned it eagerly. For about 20 seconds, which doesn't seem very long, but is.

A sudden hard rock of the boat threw the both of us on the ground, and Jack shifted so I landed on top of him. My heart suddenly went to double time, and I could feel sweat on my back falling down to the top of my legs. Jack stroked my face with the back of his hand, brushing aside loose strands of hair. My muscles froze, time stood still, and all I wanted was for things to stay that way.

And then there was a pounding on the door. Damn. "Sparrow! Sparrows? Aw hell, Jack Sparrow!"

"It's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow!" he bellowed.

"Whatever." Ah, the capriciousness of Annamaria. "Need you at the helm, now."

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. I smiled at him, and stroked his cheek. He made a noise of approval, and I inched up on him until my hair brushed his cheeks. He opened one eye, and then both. "Can we resume this later?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, can you?"

He groaned. "MAY we resume this later?"

I smiled down at him and nuzzled against his collarbone. "If you're lucky," I purred seductively, teasing him. And he knew it. He rested a hand on the small of my back and sighed in contentment. And said something that made me freeze.

"If I could have one wish, it would be that nothing would change as of now."

I raised myself up on my hands, giving him a puzzled look. "What?"

He shrugged good-naturedly. "I mean, sure I like excitement and adventure and a dash of danger thrown in the boot, but this.........this is REALLY nice. We can go where we please, do as we like, and we have each other all to ourselves."

"Except for Annamaria and her planned interruptions."

"Yeah, she's got a knack for that."

I took a shaky breath. "So what you're saying is, if you could, you wouldn't EVER want things to change? Ever again?"

He smiled at me. "Yeah." He kissed my hand. "That's what I mean."

A sharp pain gutted me in the stomach, and I groaned and curled away. It wasn't the baby. It was guilt. Sharp, stabbing, unrelenting, unforgivable guilt. Guilt at harboring a lie as big as this.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, sitting up on his elbow. "Meg? Meg, you okay?" I nodded mutely. "Are you positive?" Nod. "Are you sure?" Nod. "Are you lying to me?" Shake. "Damn, thought I'd trip you up on that one." He smiled, but I didn't smile back. I tried to relax.

"Are you planning on going up to the helm?" I asked quietly.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that," he said brightly, getting up slowly. He gave me his hands, and he pulled me up from the floor. He gave me a look. "Now, are you SURE you're okay?"

A lightbulb appeared above my head. "Jack? May I ask you for a big, huge, extremely important favor?"

"You can ask, sure. I'm not a genie, though, I don't grant all wishes."

"Could we set course for Port Royal?"

He looked confused. "Uh, in case you forgot, I'm an outlaw there, and you probably are as well. I mean, you ran away with a pirate. If that's not a social downer, then I don't know what is. And I thought you didn't like living in Port Royal. It was too constricting, something like that?"

"I never said I wanted to LIVE there, and yes, I do hate it, but.........I miss Will and Elizabeth," I said quietly, lowering my head and going for the kill. "We haven't seen them in a year and a half, and he's my only family and I miss the two of them terribly and I want to see them, not forever but for a week or so, and I just want tospeaktoElizabethaboutsomethingveryimportant and no, I can't say what." All in one breath. Must be a new record.

Jack considered it. "What about the risks? What if we get arrested for showing our beautiful faces there?"

"Disguise us. Please, Jack, please........."

He was silent for a moment. "Oh, all right. I'll tell them to set course." He stumbled back a bit as I grabbed him around the waist again in joy. "Whoa, don't make me fall there, okay?" He hugged me back. I never wanted to let go. "Now," he said importantly, throwing in a fake 'ahem', "I'm off to change our course."

A/N: So.........? What do you think so far? Review please, send me anything: roses, turkeys, flames, s'mores, Reese's, I don't care. I need input before I continue here!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: Howdy-ho! And don't take that offensively. Eh, here I am...in front of a computer...with more ideas waiting to be released into the wild...run while you still can...this isn't going to be a long chapter, I don't have the energy for that. Basically, it's what's going on in Meg's head. (Her name, by the way, is Margaret, not Megan. For some reason, I can't stand the name 'Megan'. Bleah. No offense to all Megans roaming the world, I'm sure you're all very lovely people. Another factor is that my middle name is Margaret, and some family members take the liberty of calling me 'Meg', so whaa-la! She really IS a part of me. Except I'm not knocked up, nor do I have a Jack Sparrow. stalks off to pout in a corner) So yeah...give me a review already, I'm dyin' out here!

Bad Meg. Bad, bad, bad, bad Meg.

Guh, this whole thing was ridiculous. My whole approach to the situation was ridiculous. And my actions regarding the situation were ridiculous.

I know most people would jump for joy at the thought of having a baby, and would rush right to their lovers and share the news. And there'd be hugging and maybe some tears and congratulations and celebrations and maybe some nasty teasing, but only in good fun, and people would generally be happy.

Well, the game changes when the mother is a pirate. Ditto with the father.

How would I fare whilst with child roaming the seas? How would the baby be born? We don't have a doctor; we learn how to deal with injuries when the injury happens. And besides, I'd bet my voice that no one on the ship has even SEEN a baby, let alone delivered one. Feast your mind on THAT bit of food for thought. And besides, a pirate ship is no place to raise a family. Think about it. It's like letting wolves raise a child; the kid wouldn't turn out all that civilized.

And as much as I've always wanted to be a mother (as secret as I kept it from everyone), what about Jack? He's not a very fatherly figure. Rarely bathes, curses like...well, like a sailor, fights daily, no mercy for enemies, and not the greatest of baby-sitters. C'mon, that's a given. He takes more care of his ship than he would his child. And Jack would feel binded to me, like blackmail, almost. He just enjoys the sex; the aftermath is not on the top of his head, much like the condition of his fingernails.

Don't get me wrong. I love Jack, with all my heart, but...this kind of thing might be something that would split us apart. A baby would chain the both of us down, and Jack's wings are made to fly, as are mine. Staying in one place would kill him, not to mention lower his social status as time would pass.

And babies take time and money, something neither of us like to dispense without care. And what if something happened to the baby? Nonsensical worries, I know, but those things pop into one's mind when one is expecting.

And there was no way, whatsoever, that I would give up my baby. I've seen orphanages, over-flowing with children without love in their lives. I've seen street rats, dressed in rags and willing to do anything for food and a place to sleep. I've seen babies abandoned in baskets in marketplaces (not in Port Royal, of course, but definitely in England), wailing and crying for their mothers, long since gone. I will never be like that. I will never abandon my baby, no matter what.

A/N: Yeah, I told you it would be short. Now to chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N: Gonna try and make this longer than the last chapter. That shouldn't be too hard, but its late and I'm tired and my fingers hurt. So I'll try my hardest, massage my hands, and get right to it.

Disclaimers: Still only own Meg...as much as I like her, I like Jack almost more...

Annamaria dropped a hand on my shoulder. "Could I talk to you? As in, with no one else listening or eavesdropping? You know, in pirvate, or something..."

I gave her a confused look. "You mean, in private?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Um, okay..." I looked at her. She was biting her lower lip and looking worried, something that Annamaria rarely does and without good reason. This worried me. A LOT. She grabbed my forearm and dragged me back to the stern of the ship, hidden behind some barrels and coils of rope. I plunked on the ground next to the salty-smelling barrels; the smell was making me feel a teensy bit queasy. I clapped my hands together and rubbed. "So...what is it?"

She took a deep breath, like it pained her to speak. "Um...listen...I, uh, might be wrong about this...I mean, I'm not completely sure or anything...but I think I'm right, and it's pretty bad if I am...I mean...I...uh..."

That had to be the only time I'd ever see Annamaria hesitate to speak her mind. "Uh, are you okay?" I asked softly.

"Of course I am," she snapped. "The question is, are YOU okay?"

Oh, crap. Smelly, brown, chunky crap. She suspected what I was hiding. Damn. "I feel okay," I replied slowly.

She scrutinized me with her clear black eyes. "Oh, really?" she asked, a high degree of disbelief in her tone. "Is that so?"

"Yes, of course."

She released a big sigh and faced me square on. "Look, I've been watching you for awhile, and the way you're acting makes me think either something's really wrong with you, or I'm totally losing it. So I'm going to ask you a question, and if you lie to me about it, I will never speak to you again, got it?"

Oh crap, here it comes...

"Are you sick?"

I blinked. "Um...in a manner of speaking, yes."

"Are you or aren't you?"

I frowned; this was a frustrating question. Technically, being pregnant isn't being sick. On the other hand, the symptoms would suggest otherwise. "Uh...yes, you could say I'm sick."

"Thought so. Jack's been asking around, trying to figure out if you've got the stomach flu or a bug or something."

"It's none of those things..."

She narrowed her eyes some more. "Then what is it? Tell me what the hell is wrong with you."

"I'm pregnant."

There was the longest, most surprised pause I'd ever heard. Annamaria's eyes bulged out, and her jaw dropped. She stared at me until I turned my gaze away, squirming under her unrelenting gaze.

"A-are you shitting me?!"

"No. Wish I was, but I'm not."

She fell back with a thud against the barrels, breathing out. "Holy crap."

"Yeah, basically."

"Does Jack know?"

"No, but he will soon enough."

Annamaria put two and two together. "Is that why we're heading to Port Royal? So you can tell him there?"

"Not just him," I corrected. "I want to tell Will and Elizabeth as well." I took a deep breath. "My main plan is to somehow convince Jack to let me stay with them for a bit, maybe longer."

"Once you tell him, he'll be all too eager to agree," she said. I looked at her, confused and hurt at what she had said. She caught a glimpse and snorted. "Oh, come on, you're not that stupid. You know for a FACT that he would freak at the news of having a kid. Or he would possibly accuse you of sleeping around or something, I dunno."

I immediately bristled. "What!? How dare-"

She held up her palms. "I'm just sayin', that's all. I've known him quite a bit longer than you have, I have an idea on how his brain works, at least most of the time. Please tell me you weren't dull enough to believe he'd LIKE the idea of a kid."

I shrugged. "No..."

"And you know he doesn't want to held accountable for anything. Well, what do you think he'd do about this?" She answered her own question. "He'd deny it. Say it's not his. Say maybe it's a mistake. Just something that would take the spotlight away from him and onto you." She looked at me; I was white and shaking. "Oh crap, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," I muttered. "Yeah, I'm fine." I grasped her sleeve, and she looked at me with wide eyes. "Please, Annamaria, please, don't tell him. Let me do it. It might go down easier if he heard it from me first, instead of around the crew."

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

I hugged her, squeezing her until she squirmed away from me. "Thank you, Annamaria. Thank you."

"Enough," she brushed it away, and rising to her feet. "C'mon, let's go do something fun."

A/N: Whew, tired...will make another attempt at the next chapter in a few days, if you people will humor me with a review or two...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N: Hello again, folks! It's me, your favorite author who is dying for a review or two! C'mon, people! It's not that hard! You click the little button at the bottom that says 'Submit Review', you write what you want to (you suck, I love this, needs improvement, good job, WRITE MORE!, I love Jack!, twinkies!, or whatever), and you submit it! It's really not that difficult, I promise!

Disclaimer: Here we go againâonly own Meg, though I still have my sights set on Jack leers

"Jack?" I called, wandering down the ship. My feet were cold, and the deck was slippery. I took caution with my steps. "Jack? Jack, where are you?" I only received cold silence, and a wet fog that chilled something deeper than my skin.

And there he was. Jack. My Jack. Facing away from me, his back straight, his hands folded behind him. I almost laughed in relief. "Jack! Jack!" I started to run towards him, keeping a hand on the rail so I wouldn't fall.

A shrill cry cut the air, and I stopped. It cried again. A baby's cry. I turned around. Only fog. I looked around me. Jack still stood up ahead, as still as a figure in a painting. The baby, wherever it was, wailed again, and the sound was heart-wrenching. Where was its mother? What was a baby doing here? Who's baby? "Jack, can you hear that?" I hollered to him. No reaction. "Jack, I hear a baby. Where is it?" Still nothing. "Jack! Who's baby is it?"

Something grabbed my ankles and pulled back, and I fell forward with a grunt, the wind knocked out of me. I started to slide backwards, away from Jack. The baby's voice was louder, shriller. I wanted to kick out, but my legs wouldn't move. "Jack! JACK!" I screeched, over and over. He started to walk away, and I felt like I had been dipped in ice. "Noâno no no no NO!" I cried, desperate now. I clawed the deck as the fog tendrils snaked around my waist and squeezed. "Jack! Help me! JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

"Meg! Wake up, goddamn it, wake up!"

Jack's face was about a centimeter away from mine, and I screamed. He fell backwards with a yell, landing on the floor with a loud thump! I sat straight up in bed, certain that I was going to fall over and die from fright. Jack cursed from the floor, the beads in his hair making tinkly noises against the wood. I buried my face in my hands and cried. I cried so hard I thought I would choke. I felt Jack's arms slide around me, and I buried my face in his shoulder, my body wracked with sobs. There were loud bangs from the door, and Jack yelled something, and then all was quiet. Except for me, of course. Jack stroked my hair and rubbed my back and hummed in my ear, basically trying to quiet me down before a pissed-off crew would bang down the door.

Finally I was reduced to a sniffle, and Jack pulled me away so he could look me in the eyes. I kept mine down on the tangled bedsheets wrapped tightly around my legs. Did I kick him in my sleep? Did I claw him, or worse? Oh crap, did I knock him out of commission????

"Meg, look at me," he said sternly, but not unkindly. I raised my head, my eyes still watery with tears. "What the hell were you dreaming about? What baby?"

I paled. "â.baby?"

"Yeah, you yelled at me about a baby. You've had nightmares before, but none as bizarre as that. What, has your clock broken or something?"

"Eh?"

"What is it that women have inside? Some sort of clock, or something?" He waved his hands in the air, as if to demonstrate his point. Something clicked in my head.

"âyou mean, an internal clock?"

"Yeah, that. Has yours gone haywire on me?"

"Uh"

"Meg, you were about THIS close to making me female." He indicated how close with his thumb and forefinger. They almost touched. "I won't be able to sit right for quite some time, love." He shifted position and groaned in pain. I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Oh crapâoh, Jack, I'm so sorry, I really am" I fumbled with my words, trying to find something appropriate to say to show how sorry I was. "Ohâoh, what can I do to make it up to you?"

"Forget about it," he said, grabbing a handful of blankets. "You were sleeping, you probably didn't even know you were doing it. I'll just sleep on the floor tonight to avoid further injury."

"But you hate sleeping on the floor," I said, now really distressed. "You always complain about how your back hurts or something fell on your head in the night."

"Better than nearly being castrated in my sleep." Touche. "Listen, Meg, we'll talk about this tomorrow. I'm tired and I need sleep to get to Port Royal, savvy? Now go to sleep and control your legs." With that, he pulled a blanket up to his chin and turned away from me.

"Meg, did you sleep last night? You have shadows under your eyes." Jack placed a finger under my eyes and traced the blackness. "Or did you get into my stuff?"

"No, no sleep," I replied, stifling a yawn. I had sat up all night, petrified of yelling in my sleep and totally blabbing everything. "I'll take a doze later."

"You better," he frowned. "We'll be there by tomorrow, and I don't want to deliver you to your brother like that. He'll think I haven't been taking care of you or some nonsense like that."

"I'll be fine." How many times had I said that in the last couple of days now?

He kissed me and held my face in his hands. "I know. You always are." He pecked my forehead, then waltzed off to the helm.

I felt sick inside.

A/N: Well, how's that for ya? Another chappie coming up, whether you like it or not.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N: Yeah yeah, it's been awhile…I've been grounded and sick and busy and yadda yadda yadda. But now the urge to type out the next chappie has become unavoidable. I'll really try to make this good.

"Meg? Hello, Meg?"

Jack's hands shook me roughly, trying to wake me up. I didn't move. I didn't want to. It had been a few days after the whole nightmare incident, and since then, Jack had slept on the floor, for his own protection. I felt absolutely horrid. And sick. I grumbled and buried my head in my pillow.

"Fine," his voice came, muted slightly. "But we're here, so get dressed and look good." And with that, he walked out, whistling. He was just as happy as I was to see Will and Elizabeth, although he wouldn't admit it.

I slid out of bed, my head spinning a bit. How long had it been since I'd been on dry land? I tried to remember as I dressed. Must've been a long time. And I hadn't seen Port Royal in almost two years. Wow. Did Will and Elizabeth have children yet? Did they live in Elizabeth's house with the governor? Was Will still a blacksmith? Did he still work for Mr. Brown? The thought of that lazy, alcohol-guzzling oaf made my insides writhe with anger. That man had stolen all of Will's glory in sword-making back when we had to live in his smithy. I wondered how he was. Maybe he had blown up from too much drink. Maybe he had been hit by a cart, or killed in a bar fight, or trampled by the donkey, or fallen into the billows. The thought made me smile.

I scanned myself quickly. I would have to wear my cloak to hide my extended belly. Hopefully, I wouldn't suffer too much from the heat.

The sun promptly blinded me. It was a bright and sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. The warm beams gently caressed my face, and I closed my eyes and savored it. It had been awhile since I'd last felt the sun.

"You sure you want to wear that cloak?" Jack's voice appeared in my ear. I promptly jumped about ten feet in the air. He grinned, his silver teeth flashing. "You have no idea how much fun it is to scare you," he teased, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

"I wasn't scared," I retorted, even though I couldn't help grinning. "I was just startled."

"Love, what the hell's the difference?" he replied with a quick twist of his head. The beads in his hair clacked together. I remembered when I had helped him twine them into his dark locks. He placed a hand on my upper arm. "Come on, it's just us and Gibbs going to shore. I don't think they know he's gone pirate, so we should be relatively safe."

I walked to the railing, then stopped abruptly and turned to Jack. "What if someone recognizes you?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"What do you think we're going to do, prance down Main Street? We're going down the alleys, love. No one would mess with a pirate in an alleyway."

"No one would mess with a pirate anyway," I pointed out.

"It's safer to hide you down an alley than the main road," he said seriously. "I'm doing this for you, love. I would kill myself if I let anything happen to you."

I kissed his cheek, standing on tiptoe. "If you don't watch out," I teased. "People won't believe you're a pirate."

"Just get in the damn boat, love."

I hate alleys. Mostly because of the residents there.

"Jack?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"I never mentioned how much I hate rats, haven't I?"

"No, I don't think so. Why, do they scare you?"

"To a major degree, yes."

"Well, don't step on them and they won't see reason to attack."

"It's not the attacking part. Well, not all of it."

"Oh. Well, why do you see reason for alarm?"

"They're – well, they're disgusting and slimy and crawling with disease and creepy-crawlies and I loathe them and one bit me when I was a child and I was sick for months and Will found one and kept it as a pet before it ran away and he found a lobster, and OH GOD, THERE'S ONE NOW!" A huge black rat skittered across the top of my shoes with a high-pitched squeak, and I started shaking. Jack wrapped an arm around my shoulder and held me close to him while unsheathing his sword.

"Look, heaven forbid they try to attack us, but if they do, I'll slice them up and eat 'em on toasted bread, savvy?"

"That's supposed to help me?"

"…well, I never said you had to visualize it."

"You're absolutely impossible."

"Of course. Now, do you remember this street?"

I peered down the road. It was relatively quiet: a girl was sweeping the front porch of a house, geese and chickens ran free, chasing each other and squawking, a man tried to sell rotten vegetables and cursed those who walked by without a glance. A horse and wagon clomped by, kicking up dust and causing me to cough. When the air cleared, I squinted once more, and paused. There, a few doors across from us, was Mr. Brown's blacksmith. It hadn't changed one bit, and I smiled and nudged Jack. "Look familiar?" I pointed.

He frowned. "Aye, it does. Brings some painful memories."

"My first physical encounter with you."

"And don't think I don't remember what you did."

"Kicked your butt with a sword."

"WRONG." He gave me a not-so-playful nudge. "You fairly beat the hell out of me with your fists and made a fair attempt at making me a eunuch like your pansy brother."

"Say it again and you WILL be a eunuch."

"Fair enough. Now how do we get to the governor's house?"

"Down this way." I grabbed his wrist, then jerked to a stop. "Put away your sword or we'll attract too much attention."

"I knew that," he said hastily, shoving his sword away. I grabbed his arm and skirted down the street, keeping my head down. We turned a couple corners and hid when two soldiers marched by. My heart was beating fast enough to leap from my throat. I looked around, seeing that the soldiers were gone. "Okay, we should be there soon enough," I muttered behind me to Jack. "Just stay behind me and – oof!" I crashed into a rather robust woman and fell backwards into Jack, who caught me smoothly as if he had been expecting me.

"Oh, my heavens," the woman cried, kneeling beside me. "Are you all right, child?" She was dressed rather elegantly, with a silk traveling cloak and an enormous, beautiful purple brooch over her bosom. I didn't get a good look at her face as I was looking at the ground, trying not to be possibly recognized. "I'm so sorry, my dear, how completely careless of me. I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm terribly sorry."

"No, the fault is mine," I replied, slipping smoothly into my old dialogue. "I hope you aren't hurt?" I lifted my head, and received the shock of a lifetime.

The woman started as well, her large green eyes widening in disbelief. And then she broke into an uneasy smile. "My God…Meg, is that you?"

"Mamie? Is it really…?" I stumbled with my tongue, my face breaking into an enormous smile.

"Mamie?" Jack wondered aloud behind me, but I paid him no heed. I lunged at Mamie and hugged her tightly. She squeezed back warmly. Oh, my sweet Mamie. "Oh, Mamie," I mumbled into her silk shoulder. "How I've missed you so."

"And me you, child," she said gently, pulling me away from her. "Let me have a look at you, dear." She lifted my chin with her hand, and studied my face. "I don't think I've ever seen you so beautiful, my dear Meg. Nor so happy. Your cheeks are a bit redder and thinner, but your eyes are just as bright as ever."

"Uh…Meg?" Jack poked me in the back. "Care for an introduction?"

"Oh…oh! Oh, of course!" My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and Mamie smiled and gave me her hand. I noticed the many rings on her thick fingers as she lifted me to my feet. I brushed off my cloak, my face still hot. "Mamie, this is…well, this is Jack. Jack, this is Mamie."

They shook hands. Jack smiled cheekily at her. "Charmed, I'm sure," he purred roguishly. Mamie simply smiled. "And how do you and my Meg know each other?"

"Well, many years ago, when Meg and Will came over here, they were sent to be in my charge until Will was old enough to take an apprenticeship," Mamie explained good-naturedly. "Will went to work in the blacksmith, with that Mr. Brown…" Here her nose crinkled, and her eyes flashed briefly with disgust. "Well, after about a year, the dear boy had saved enough money for Meg to stay with him in the smithy. And I haven't heard from them since." She smiled sadly. "I loved them like they were my own children. And I was terribly sad when Meg finally left my care." She squeezed me to her again. "But oh, it's so lovely to see you again, my dear."

"Oh, Mamie, it's so wonderful to see you again," I bubbled giddily. "I thought of you often, but I was so busy helping Will, I didn't have time to visit!"

"Speaking of visit, Meg…" Jack said softly.

Will! "Oh, Mamie, it was so nice to see you, but we have to be going," I bumbled. "I haven't seen Will and Elizabeth in FOREVER, and I won't be here long, so-"

"Oh, you don't have to tell me," she said gently. "You go on ahead." She pulled me for one last embrace. "You take care of yourself while you're in the family way," she whispered in my ear. I froze. "And that man, if he is the father, will be a good one, I can see it." Pulling away, she said loudly, "Well, it was pleasant to see you again, my dear Margaret. Take care." With one last pinch on the cheek and a handshake with Jack, my Mamie disappeared around the corner.

"Seems rather nice," Jack commented. "Bit chunky, but very open-hearted."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" I replied in a monotone voice. Mamie had seen. She had spotted it. Crap. Was Jack blind? Or just stupid? If WILL noticed, I reasoned, then I could panic about blindness. "Come on, we're almost there," I said softly, grabbing his hand again and trudging forward.

A/N: I know, it's been awhile. Dunno why I put Mamie in there, but I like the character: sort of the sweet old granny sort of thing. Everyone should know someone like that in their lifetimes, I think. More to come, I promise!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Stuff's happened that I won't get into, but I promise a nice long chapter with some goodies in it. Like one-liners and such. Enjoy, and comment me once you've finished. And no, I don't intend to move my story in the direction of the past two PotC movies. They're nice, but I prefer a completely different route in my storylines.

I thought that maybe the mansion might have changed… perhaps taken up more space or been wrecked by bread riots or something. But it looked exactly the same as I remembered it, with the gate upright and the front lawn green and the façade freshly painted and the windows shining after a fresh cleaning.

"Unless you want to be thrown in a rat-infested dungeon for the rest of your life, I say we enter this here gate," Jack's voice broke my train of thought. The idea of living with rats made me move quickly out of the lane and up the drive to the mansion. I didn't see the carriage, and another worry began to nag at me. What if they were out visiting? What if they didn't even live here anymore? What if, dear God, something had happened and they were both imprisoned or, worse, dead?

A cool hand grasped mine, and I turned. Jack scanned my face, then kissed my forehead softly. "We will survive this," he crooned, his fingers caressing mine. "Don't be afraid, Meg, this is the worst of it." We stood in front of the enormous wooden door, and with a nod from me, Jack pounded three times.

The door opened and a tall, thin butler with a balding dome opened it. He kept his chin held high, all the better to look at us down his nose. "Yes, may I assist you?"

"Why yes, I believe you can," Jack said matter-of-factly, his charm evident. "We are here to see the Mister and Missus of the house, a William and Elizabeth Turner, as it were. So…" (He peered around the man, then looked back into his face.) "…yeah. Let us in."

Butler sneered at us, and I became aware of how dirty and travel-stained our clothing must look. For the first time in years, I blushed with shame over my clothing. And then my temper rose, and without a word, I pushed open the door, knocking the butler to the side, and hollered, "Elizabeth! ELIZABETH! YOUR BUTLER MAN IS HARASSING ME AND I INTEND TO PRESS CHARGES!"

"That's my girl," I heard Jack mutter to himself, sounding pleased. The butler simply stared at me, then Jack, then back to me.

"Who in the devil do you think you are?" he demanded angrily, taking a step towards me.

"That will do, Cornwall," a sharp female voice said from the top of the stairs. "You are dismissed, and please take care of what you say about our beloved and important guests." I turned to see the one person who, in one careless demand, made me proud to be a woman: Elizabeth.

She was as stunning as I remembered her. Her hair was tied back in a bun, with loose curls around her face and the nape of her neck. Her gown was a beautiful shade of cream with pure white lace trim, the sleeves tapered at the elbow so her hands, her beautiful hands with the strong, delicate fingers, would be visible. Her face was a few shades darker than socially desired, but it only heightened the brown highlights in her hair and sparkling eyes.

As soon as Cornwall (good God, what a name for a butler) exited the room in a huff, she ran down the stairs as fast as her gown could let her and threw herself at me with a small squeal of joy. I had prepared for this and braced her weight accordingly, and squeezed her tightly and inhaled the light scent of jasmine and clean hair.

"Oh, I never thought I'd see you again," came her muffled voice from my shoulder, and she stood back to study me with tears in her eyes. "You look almost exactly the way I remember you, except your skin is much darker -"

"Yes, that happens when you work in the sun."

"And your humor is still the same," she said, smiling. Then, as I knew would happen, her eyes drifted down towards my belly, and they widened in surprise. Before she could open her mouth to vocalize her surprise, I put my fingers over her lips.

"Later," I said brusquely. She looked confused for a moment, then dawning comprehension, then horror, then a look of pity. In an instant, her face was smooth and devoid of any personal feeling.

"Where's Jack?" she asked conversationally. "Did he come with you, or did he prefer to stay on the ship?"

"He's right -" I turned, and Jack had disappeared. The dirty louse had probably slipped out as soon as he had the chance; Jack had never been comfortable or accepting of high-quality living. But before I could come up with an excuse, a soft tinkle of breaking china interrupted the silence, followed by a soft "I bet that was expensive."

Elizabeth turned to the room on the left to me, and I followed her into the most decorated library I've ever stepped foot into. Leather-bound books covered half the walls, while maps and paintings took their places as well. Dark-wooded chairs with maroon covers, deeply plushed carpets, and a lovely writing desk made the room complete. Across the room, near a window and a china cabinet, was Jack, looking as out of place as could be, with an expression of child-like guilt on his face. A smashed pile of white china lay near his boots.

"Whoops," he said, looking at Elizabeth sheepishly.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I shall have to request proper payment for that item, Mr. Sparrow," she said haughtily, then laughed at the bewildered expression on his face. "Oh, really, Jack, think nothing of it. I'm so glad to see you that you could break all my pieces and I still wouldn't be angry."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Absolutely not." They embraced quickly, and Elizabeth smiled at him, then me. "Come, you two. Will is outside on the back patio, going over some maps and captain's logs."

"Not anymore," a familiar, the most dear voice in the world came behind me. With a cry, I turned to see my brother, my twin, Will Turner. In two long steps, he had picked me up and swung me around, holding onto me as tightly as a ship's knot. The smooth feel of his vest and crisp shirt was a welcome feel to me, and I breathed in the scent of his skin and old smell of dried sweat and sunshine and ocean air.

Good God, I had missed him so.

"Oh, Will," I murmured, unable to say more without bursting into tears. He gave me another squeeze, then set me down on my feet once more. He smiled at me, then looked up and saw Jack, who was awkwardly rubbing the toe of his boot into the carpet while twirling a ring on his finger. Will strode over and paused, the two men uncertain of how to greet each other. Elizabeth and I giggled quietly while the two of them shook hands, their eyes never leaving the other's face.

"Good to see you again, Jack."

"And you, mate. How's the home life coming, missing the ship yet?"

"No, I get my share of ships. How's the Pearl?"

"As beautiful as the sunset after a storm. How's the eunich business?"

"Not prospering, seeing as how eunich's aren't very popular around here."

"Now that's just a bloody shame." He grinned, his silver teeth glinting, and Will threw his head back and laughed and slapped Jack on the shoulder. The two visibly relaxed around each other, and Elizabeth smiled at me.

"Shall we go have tea on the back patio?" she suggested, and the three of us followed her benignly thru the library, thru the hall, and thru another large mahogany door to the back lawn and patio. The view overlooked the gentler side of the port, where only a few ships were anchored and the horizon stretched on as far as the eye could see. I heard Jack give a soft moan of longing, and saw why; I could see the Pearl from here as well, softly drifting with the afternoon swells and looking relatively non-threatening as a pirate ship could get.

Elizabeth rang a small silver bell, and two maids in identical dresses and caps came out with a tea tray and another with little cakes and sandwiches. Jack eyed a pink-frosted cake hungrily, but said nothing and did nothing until the tray was settled on the table and the maids had left.

"Take it, Jack, we can all see you want it," I said laughing, and in the blink of an eye, the little cake was in his mouth and almost gone. Will and I laughed, and Elizabeth shook her head in mock despair and smiled.

"Goodness, it's been so dull without you two," she said, pouring light brown tea into a porcelain cup and handing it to Will. "I never thought I'd be craving something more… well…"

"Dangerous?" I suggested.

"Yes, actually," she said, looking at me squarely while still pouring tea. That takes some serious practice. "It's not that I miss being on the Pearl, quite the opposite, but I do miss some of the excitement and adventure that I experienced."

"You'd be disappointed then," Jack said, his mouth cleared of cake but his beard still lightly sprinkled with crumbs. "We've had nothing but peaceful sailing and good, relatively non-life-threatening pirating. You'd be downright disappointed in me, Elizabeth, if you were to join the crew now."

"Trust me, that's not my intention," she said with a raised eyebrow. "My life is settled here and I'm quite content with that."

"What of you, Turner?" Jack turned his attention to Will. "Feeling the sea call your name yet?"

"No," he said bluntly. "I go down the harbor almost every day to check incoming cargoes from England and Africa and the Americas, so I get my fill of the sea. I thought I might want to go out on a ship again, but I haven't wanted to yet. I'm happy where I am." He turned to Elizabeth and smiled at her, and she reached out and gently grasped his hand. He turned back to Jack. "I don't regret staying here."

"I'm glad for you," he replied, looking a bit uncomfortable. He popped another small cake into his mouth to keep from speaking.

Will turned to me. "So, Meg, what's happened in the past two years since we've seen each other?"

I swallowed nervously. "Oh… nothing much, I'd say."

Elizabeth stared at me. "Nothing much?" Her tone dared me to contradict her, to come right out and announce what I couldn't hide anymore. But I sat still, my stomach knotted in frightened coils.

"Yeah, that's about right," I replied, looking away from her.

"I would disagree," she said. "I would think that there'd be a lot of things to discuss. Especially upcoming things. Things that change lives."

"Like pirating a navy ship?" Jack inquired.

"….no, not quite."

"Like discovering undiscovered gold?"

"Like family, Jack," I said quietly. "Like having a baby."

There was a pause while Jack froze, the wheels in his head rapidly turning and his mind digesting what I might have meant.

"Them?" He pointed to Elizabeth and Will.

"No…"

"Annamaria? Did she -"

"No."

He paused for a moment, his eyes flickering across the tabletop, then turning to me. "Then who?"

I took a deep breath. "Us, Jack."

There was a crash; Will had dropped his cup of tea. Jack stared at me, his dark eyes deliberately uncomprehending what I had just told him. They weren't soft and warm; they were sharp as flint and cold as ice in the winter. We stared at each other, and I felt an abyss begin to separate us from each other, even though I could've reached out and touched his hand easily.

With sudden speed Jack was on his feet, and he turned his back to leave me. I grabbed his coat sleeve with a sharp desperate cry, and he stopped, slowly turning his face to me.

"Jack." I couldn't say another word. "Jack."

With a calculated touch, he brushed my fingers from his sleeve. I stared at him, not noticing the tears running in rivers down my face nor the whimpering cries I couldn't suppress. Without a word, he turned and began to stride away.

At once, Will and I were on our feet.

"Jack!"

"Wait!"

"Jack, don't go!"

"Come back, you can't just walk away from this!"

He turned and disappeared, completely ignoring the both of us. Will began to walk after him, cursing under his breath, and a soft hand came around my shoulders.

"Meg?" Elizabeth sounded scared. "Meg, speak to me. Are you alright?"

Then there was a sense of falling, Elizabeth screaming for Will to help her, footsteps, and the unending well of what I had done, and the loss of the man I loved.

A/N: Let me know what you think. If you like it, I'll keep writing.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The sea. I could hear the sea.

"…call the doctor, Will, I don't think I should…"

"…damn that coward, goddamn!"

The floor is moving beneath my feet. The breeze is caressing my face.

"…hurry back, soon, love…"

Love. My love.

Jack.

My love left me. My love deserted me and my body's betrayal. Curse this babe, this leech, this parasite! I want nothing more of it!

"….Meg. Meg, can you hear me… oh Will, where are you…"

There is a ship, and she sails the sea. She took my lover away from me.

"….bring me some cool water, if you please…."

For his return, I hope and pray. And that forever with me he'll stay.

Cool hands are stroking my cheeks. Soft, gentle, feminine. I don't want those hands. I want rough, callused, worn. I want Jack's hands, his hands brushing the hair from my face, his hands brushing my skin until I can't take anymore softness. Brutality, I want my Jack.

"….the doctor's coming soon, Meg, don't worry now…."

It feels like my body is aflame. I bite my tongue. I won't make a sound.

"….you have a fever, Meg, you have a fever…."

"….will the lady guest be alright?..."

"….get me some cold compresses, oh Will, please hurry…"

If I try hard enough, my head will disconnect from the rest of my body. I'll soar above the town, with nothing to drag me down.

"…no, Meg, no, you mustn't do that… someone help me, she's falling…"

She's falling. She's falling. Someone catch her before she breaks. Pretty little china doll, dressed in rags, dressed in pirate rags. False pirate, false doll, false woman. Betrayal, body betrayal. Curse you, curse you!

Strong hands grab me, and a moan slips out. I didn't mean to, I didn't.

"….there now, lass, you'll be fine soon…."

Scottish? What the hell is a Scot doing in Port Royal? Murderer, baby murder, keep your bloody hands off of me.

"….she's exhausted, and the fever isn't going to make things easy on her…"

"….what about the baby…."

I DON'T WANT IT. LET IT DIE, PLEASE, FREE ME AND KILL IT.

"….she needs rest, plenty of water, and cold compresses should help make her more comfortable, send for me straight-away if she starts bleeding…."

My heart is dead, I can't bleed anymore.

"….Meg…."

Will. Will's voice, Will's hand holding my own. Brown eyes, such sad brown eyes on a tanned face. Will, Will holding me down. Will, Will with the memories.

"NO!" I can't keep my voice anymore. "NO! NO MORE, NO MORE, I DON'T WANT IT!"

"Meg, please! Meg, stop, you'll hurt yourself!" Will's hands on my shoulders. Will's hands stilling my body. I choke, I sob, I can't stop crying. So hot, everything feels so hot on my skin. My skin, my skin stretching across another body, not my own. God, kill it, I don't want this babe.

Cold clothes are draped over me. I shiver. Hot and cold, cold and hot. Together and apart. I can't keep my thoughts straight, they run over me like a carriage pulled by stallions made of fire. Hot, its too hot, I'll burn to death.

"….there's nothing more you can do, love…."

"….I won't leave her now, she's my family, she's my only family…."

"….she's my family, too, we'll keep watch, but you need to rest or you'll be just like her…."

No, you won't. You can't get pregnant, you damn man, you can't lose your love if you conceive and become cursed with a bloodsucking leech.

"….the way she mumbles, Elizabeth, about the baby…."

"….she's scared, this is something completely new and frightening, and she's lost the man who swore to stand by her, she doesn't mean it…."

She does. I swear she does. Don't talk about Jack, just don't.

Sweat. Sweat sweet. I'm going to sweat out my blood and then I'll be free. The sheets change, the heat melting into a soft coolness that doesn't stay long enough.

Is it night? The stars are so bright, the sky so black. The waves will take me, the waves will take me to Jack. Sea foam bubbles.

"Love."

Dear God. He came back.

"Love, you can't do this to me. You die now, and I'll take every whore in Tortuga in your place."

Bastard! You wouldn't!

"I'll do it, love, whether you die or not is what changes it. You live thru this, Meg, my lovely Meg, and I'll return to you."

I can feel the coarse linen of his shirt in my hand, the thickness of his hair, the roughness of his face before a soft kiss on the lips. Jack, my Jack, he didn't abandon me.

"Live. Live, Meg."

Yes. I will, yes, my love, I will.

I opened my eyes. For the first time in what feels like forever, I know where I am. I'm with Will, who is on his knees beside me, his head on the sheets, fast asleep and snoring softly. Elizabeth is in a rocker across the room, her head resting on her shoulder. Everyone is sleep except me.

It's night. The window is open, a soft breeze playing with the thin curtains. I can see the harbor, smell the salty tinge in the wind. This guest room is beautiful, the bed expansive and crafted from fine wood, but all I want is to be back on the Pearl, in a rolling makeshift bed, with Jack's arm around me and his breath whistling in my ear while he sleeps.

I slipped carefully away from Will. The floor feels so cold beneath my feet. How am I not dead from the fever?

I looked down. My stomach was still swollen and hard. The babe lived. Somehow, the tenacious little leech survived what would've killed me. Curses.

My head spun as I stood for the first time. I grasped the bedpost with both hands, waiting for the dizziness to pass and the trembling to cease. I have to get to the window; I have to find the Pearl. She's in the harbor, she must be. Jack wouldn't leave without me, the very idea is unthinkable and ridiculous.

Slowly and carefully, I inched my way from the bed to the window. It's only a few feet away, but it feels like miles. The back of my neck was damp from sweat; this exhausted me. I reached out and grasped the window pane, the smooth wood cool beneath my hot hands. The breeze felt so wonderful.

I can't hear the waves, but I can almost feel the pounding and the dull roar as they touch sand. The lawn rolls in front of me, but I held tight to the windowpane and remained upright. Green grass faded into trees, and beyond them was the harbor. The moon and its reflection almost lit up the sky, they're so full and so bright.

"Meg?"

I gasped involuntarily and turn. Elizabeth was sitting straight in her rocker, her eyes watching me. She gave me a small smile. "How do you feel?"

I turned back to the window. "Where is the Pearl?" I asked softly.

She stood and slowly walked over to me. "Can you see it?" I shook my head. Elizabeth stood beside me and squinted, her eyes scanning the harbor for the tell-tale black sails. After a minute, she sighed. "I don't see it either." The look on her face was incredibly sad, as though she'd hoped she was wrong and that the ship WAS there, that Jack WAS there and hadn't left me.

"He's gone," I said flatly. She nodded. "He's gone and left me alone."

"No, Meg, no," she said gently, her hand resting on my arm. "You have us, you have me and Will. He didn't leave you alone, he left you in our care. And we love you, so very much. We were so scared…" I look at her, and tears were welling up in her eyes. "We thought we were going to lose you. You and the baby."

I flinched.

"Meg." Elizabeth turned me towards her, her face set. "I know that this isn't what you want. I know that you never intended to conceive, I know that you don't want the babe now. But wait, Meg, wait til she's born; I promise you'll fall in love with her and not regret this anymore."

I raised an eyebrow. "She?"

"Of course," she stated matter-of-factly. "Only a girl can survive sickness and heartache at the same time."

"You think my baby's heart is aching?"

"Of course it is." Elizabeth smiled sadly. "Do you really think that she can't feel what you're feeling, sense that something is missing? I think she knows, and I think she's much more aware of her surroundings than we know." Elizabeth reached out and laid a hand on my stomach. "I think she's gonna be just fine."

We looked at each other, and I fell into her arms, crying and cursing the fact that my baby was just like me after all.

A/N: Nothing like a fever to get your head on straight, huh? Send a review or two, and I'll do my best to keep writing. )


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